PETALING JAYA: Malaysia are aiming to have not one but three representatives as world No. 1s as an immediate plan under their Tangkis 2030 project.
And it looks like it could be achieved soon based on the players’ current standing in the world.
Currently, women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are ranked world No. 2 with 91,316 points, just 20,518 points behind the top-ranked Chinese pair Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning.
In the mixed doubles, reigning world champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei are world No. 4 with 88,803 points.
As for the men’s doubles, Malaysia’s chances look even brighter with three pairs in the world’s top 10 — Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (No. 2), professional pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (No. 3), and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 7).
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said besides the world No. 1 ranking target, there are four other key goals under their five-year project.
They are to win the Thomas Cup in 2026, capture the gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, develop a sustainable champions pipeline and to build a healthy Malaysia.
Zafrul said there was no point in setting a ‘safe’ goal.
“We need to have a vision that is aspirational. I think we shouldn’t target something that we know we can easily achieve. We should aim for something that challenges us. It may be difficult,” said Zafrul.
“If you look at the rankings today, especially in the doubles, we have all three categories in the top 10. So it’s not inconceivable that these three in the top 10 could also reach the No. 1 spot,” said Zafrul.
Even though Malaysia’s singles departments have not been as convincing of late, Zafrul remains hopeful that players from these categories can rise to the top of the world rankings in the future, with stronger grassroots development being key.
“But by 2030, we hope the singles players will also be candidates for that position. So grassroots development is going to be important.
“Today, we need to focus not just on the existing players but also on the future of Malaysian badminton,” he added.
